The Daily Mirror reported on an exclusive story that is due to break a little later this week, namely that government plans for so-called ‘green towns’ will create through-fares for cars that will be running at 15 miles per hour. This will make some of Britain’s roads faster for cyclists than for cars.
The 15mph rule will be issued down to developers for 10 new towns that will be built with green credentials in mind (no doubt as part of Labour’s attempt to up taxes and play on the ‘green’ issues to stay in power) – which will include more than 100,000 houses.
So, what’s going on then? Caroline Flint (the housing minister, apparently justifying her job here at the cost of the motorist) is the Housing Minister. Her rationale behind the decision is to reduce the amount of pollution from towns to help beat global warming. Let’s just consider this idea for a moment.
If you are desperate to reduce pollution in towns, the way forward is not to reduce speeds. Imagine you have 5 cars on the road. They’re all driving through your idyllic eco-town. They’re driving at 30 miles per hour, in fourth gear. Their engines are actually running reasonably economically, as a higher gear and lower speed means the engine isn’t being stressed. Consider now 5 cars running through the same town. They won’t be able to put the car into fourth gear – instead they’ll probably be at 1,500rpm in second. They’ll take longer to go through the town, produce more CO2 in doing so and are more likely to cause congestion and annoyance.
Of course, if we take the Clarkson/May/Hammond view then realistically we should all be careening around at the fast speed possible, or at least the fastest speed practicable. This would mean allowing up to 90mph on motorways etc and generally speaking more speed where the traffic flow would allow. However, the Top Gear lads would never, EVER advocate speeding near a school, hospital or through a built up area where there may be children. Near my way, there is a school, and the suggested limit is 20mph. If you are really going that slowly, you have enough time to react if the worst were to happen and a child runs out.
One of the documents suggested, “Eco-towns should be designed around the needs of pedestrians and cyclists“. This, to me, is a nice idea. But where can you find a pedestrian and cyclist-only town? Most cyclists and pedestrians are also motorists. What do you intend to do Labour, create gated communities where there’s work and play?
Hugh Bladon, of the Association of British Drivers, had the following to say:
“This is a ridiculous idea. It is fantasy land. Public transport will never cater as well as the car for the needs of business people or women with families“.
The above is no doubt absolutely true. That’s not necessarily a reason not to try, but I’m guessing those who move into these 15mph eco-towns with “spaces where children can play… and communities can gather” will want to keep their Chelsea Tractors (i.e. their BMW X5’s for those not in the know).
I think I’ve seen an eco-town before actually – they normally call them country villages where I come from. You can see lots of green, sometimes a market and locals complaining that their post office has closed, which adds yet another reason why they need their cars.
To be honest, I’ve recently had a change of heart on green issues (I’ll cover more of this in another post). The government’s idea of every home being within 400 metres of public transport is a great idea – but given how little they invested in transport for the North of England I think this is an idealistic (and unrealistic) point of view. People need their cars – especially when driving through perfectly formed eco-villages.
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